Artist{40 s paint box

ABSTRACT

An artist&#39;&#39;s paint box wherein a box body has a lid hinged thereto for closing and opening movements, and a tray is mounted in the box body and has a group of paint-receiving compartments with an endless sealing ring surrounding these compartments. A palette is fixed to the lid in a position to abut flatwise against the sealing ring when the lid is closed, thereby preventing the paints from drying out. Moreover, a spongereceiving compartment is formed in the tray for holding a wet sponge, whereby moisture may be conveyed to the paints to add moisture thereto. The tray is made to hold brushes, while the box body below the mounted tray provides for storage of paint tubes.

United States Patent 1 [111 3,786,913

Crawford Jan. 22, 1974 [54] ARTISTS PAINT BOX 3,414,343 12/1968 Thomas 206/1.7 Inventor: Donald C a for 211 Coronet 3,576,252 4/1971 Conolly 206/l.7

Blvd" Belmont Cahf' 94002 Primary ExaminerWi11iam T. Dixson, Jr. [22] Filed: Dec. 4, 1972 Attorney, Agent, or Firm.Ioseph F. Cole 21 A 1.N.:311554 1 pp 0 57 ABSTRACT An artists paint box wherein a box body has a lid [52] US. Cl 206/l.8, 206/1.8, 206/16 R,

217/7 220/17, 220/20, 220/46 R hinged thereto for closing and openlng movements,

and a tray is mounted in the box body and has a group [5] 1 B65! B65d 25/02 i g y i of paint-receiving compartments with an endless sealing ring surrounding these compartments. A palette is [58] g gg 4 l' g fixed to the lid in a position to abut flatwise against l l the sealing ring when the lid is closed, thereby preventing the paints from drying out. Moreover, a

[56] References cued sponge-receiving compartment is formed in the tray UNITED STATES PATENTS for holding a wet sponge, whereby moisture may be 1,585,032 5/1926 conveyed to the paints to add moisture thereto. The

6 9/1933 tray is made to hold brushes, while the box body 2,033,295 3/ 1936 below the mounted tray provides for storage of paint 2,515,703 7/1950 tubes. 2,531,189 11/1950 2,923,081 2/1960 6 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures ARTIST'S PAINT BOX SUMMARY It is proposed in this invention to provide an artists paint box wherein a tray is formed with a group of paint-receiving compartments, the tray being removably supported in the box body, and the tray has an endless sealing ring of sponge rubber surrounding the group of paint-receiving compartments. Moreover, a lid is hinged to the box body and has a palette fixed thereto in a position to abut flatwise against the sealing ring to prevent the paints from drying out due to exposure to the atmosphere when the lid is closed.

It is further proposed to provide a sponge-receiving compartment in the tray within the confines of the sealing ring so that moisture from a wet sponge may be conveyed to the paints. to add the required amount of moisture to the paints from time to time.

Moreover, it is proposed to provide a compartment in the tray for holding paint brushes, and the box body has a storage compartment below the tray for paint tubes.

Other objects and advantages will appear as the specification proceeds, and the novel features of the invention will be pointed out in the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For a better understanding of the invention, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this disclosure, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of an artists paint box made in accordance with this invention, with the hinged lid being disclosed in open position.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along the plane 22 of FIG. 1, parts being shown in elevation, and the closed position of the lid being indicated by dot-dash lines.

FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken along the plane 3-3 of FIG. 1.

While only the preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown, it should be understood that various changes, or modifications, may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings in detail, it will be noted that a box body A has a lid B secured thereto by hinge for closing and opening movements relative to the box body. This box body and its lid may be made from any suitable material, for example plastic.

A tray indicated generally at C is removably mounted in the box body A and is supported in the upper part of the latter by suitable means, such as by a marginal flange 11 on the tray resting on a shoulder 12' provided in the box body. This tray may be made of plastic, or other desired material, and it is formed with a group of paint-receiving compartments 12 adapted to hold paints 13 of selected colors for use by the artist.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, inclusive, an endless sealing ring 14 is secured to an upper surface 15 of the tray C so as to surround and encompass the group of compartments 12. This sealing ring may be provided by a strip of sponge rubber that is bonded to the upper surface 15 of the tray.

Moreover, a palette D is fixed to the interior of the lid B, for example, on a ledge 16 formed in the lid. This palette is made of suitable material, such as may be selected for spreading of paints thereon by the artist, and the palette is disposed in a position to abut flatwise against the upper perimetrical surface 17 of the sealing ring 14 when the lid B is closed, as disclosed by dotdash lines in FIG. 2, thereby preventing the paints 13 from drying out due to exposure to the atmosphere. However, the palette D is fully exposed for use by the artist when the lid is swung open, as shown byfull lines in FIG. 2.

The lid B may be secured in closed position relative to the body box A by suitable latches 18, and a pocket 19 may be provided in the top exterior of the lid for a swingable handle 20, and the latter may be moved into the confines of the pocket 19, or it may be extended from the lid for grasping by the artist.

As a further feature, a paint brush-receiving compartment 21 is formed in the upper surface 15 of the tray C alongside the paint-receiving compartments 12 for holding artists brushes 22 as shown in FIG. 1. The palette D is disposed to provide a cover over compartment 21 when the lid B is closed.

The box body A is provided with a compartment 23 below the tray C for storage of paint tubes 24 (see FIG. 2), and access may be had to the tube-storage compartment 23 when the tray C is removed from the box body A.

A further important structural feature is the provision ofa sponge-receiving compartment 25 for holding a wet sponge 26, this compartment being disposed within the confines of the sealing ring 14 and communicating with the paint-receiving compartments 12 through the air space within the confines of the sealing ring, whereby moisture from the sponge 26 may be conveyed to the paint-receiving compartments 12 to add moisture to the paints 13.

The sealing ring 14 prevents moisture from the sponge 26 from gaining access to the brush-receiving compartment 21, when the lid B is closed, and thus the brushes will be permitted to dry out without the paints 13 from drying out.

I claim:

1. In an artists paint box:

a. a box body having a lid hinged thereto for closing and opening movements relative to the box body;

b. a tray mounted in the box body and being formed with a group of paint-receiving compartments;

c. an endless sealing ring secured to an upper surface I of the tray so as to surround and encompass the group of paint-receiving compartments;

d. and a palette fixed to the lid in a position to abut flatwise against the upper perimetrical surface of the sealing ring when the lid is closed upon the box body, thereby preventing the paints from drying out due to exposure to the atmosphere.

2. The artists paint box, as set forth in claim 1;

e. and in which the palette is fully exposed for use by an artist when the lid is swung open.

3. The artists paint box, as set forth in claim 1;

e. and in which the sealing ring is provided by a strip of sponge rubber that is bonded to the upper surface of the tray.

4. The artists paint box, as set forth in claim 1;

e. and in which a paint brush-receiving compartment is formed in the upper surface of the tray alongside the paint-receiving compartments, the palette being disposed to provide a cover over the brushreceiving compartment when the lid is closed.

5. The artists paint box, as set forth in claim 1;

e. and in which the tray is removably supported in the upper part of the box body and the latter is provided with a compartment below the tray for storage of paint tubes, and access may be had to the tube-storage compartment when the tray is removed from the box body.

6. The artists paint box, as set forth in claim 1;

e. and in which a sponge-receiving compartment is formed in the upper surface of the tray for holding a wet sponge, this compartment being disposed within the confines of the sealing ring and communicating with the paint-receiving compartments through the air space within the confines of the sealing ring, whereby moisture from the sponge may be conveyed to the paint-receiving compartments to add moisture to the paints. 

1. In an artist''s paint box: a. a box body having a lid hinged thereto for closing and opening movements relative to the box body; b. a tray mounted in the box body and being formed with a group of paint-receiving compartments; c. an endless sealing ring secured to an upper surface of the tray so as to surround and encompass the group of paintreceiving compartments; d. and a palette fixed to the lid in a position to abut flatwise against the upper perimetrical surface of the sealing ring when the lid is closed upon the box body, thereby preventing the paints from drying out due to exposure to the atmosphere.
 2. The artist''s paint box, as set forth in claim 1; e. and in which the palette is fully exposed for use by an artist when the lid is swung open.
 3. The artist''s paint box, as set forth in claim 1; e. and in which the sealing ring is provided by a strip of sponge rubber that is bonded to the upper surface of the tray.
 4. The artist''s paint box, as set forth in claim 1; e. and in which a paint brush-receiving compartment is formed in the upper surface of the tray alongside the paint-receiving compartments, the palette being disposed to provide a cover over the brush-receiving compartment when the lid is closed.
 5. The artist''s paint box, as set forth in claim 1; e. and in which the tray is removably supported in the upper part of the box body and the latter is provided with a compartment below the tray for storage of paint tubes, and access may be had to the tube-storage compartment when the tray is removed from the box body.
 6. The artist''s paint box, as set forth in claim 1; e. and in which a sponge-receiving compartment is formed in the upper surface of the tray for holding a wet sponge, this compartment being disposed within the confines of the sealing ring and communicating with the paint-receiving compartments through the air space within the confines of the sealing ring, whereby moisture from the sponge may be conveyed to the paint-receiving compartments to add moisture to the paints. 